Existentialism Essay

It seems it is human nature to simplify the complex, to bring all of the complicated and confusing happenings we come across, whether by way of our own living, or through the lives of others, into the realm of understanding. There is a tendency and a desire to make sense of elements in our experiences, and this process of making sense is not boundless, but restricted to what we already know. We can make any idea fit seemingly logically with our understanding of the world and how it works. I…

The Underlying Theme in Crime and Punishment and The Stranger Both The Stranger by Albert Camus and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky explore the criminal mind and its psyche. Each novel addresses the spectrum of emotions an individual deals with within their mind after committing a murder. Both books are centered on one criminal act that allows the reader to delve into the thought process of a convicted murderer, each varying from one another. In The Stranger, Meursault is seen as a…

The philosophers of old explored the meaning of human existence, and modern philosophers are no closer to finding the answer. Most people consider the presence of the human condition to be a sort of existential trap, in which humanity is doomed to live out an eternal cycle of suffering. However, in reality, it is more like a path all people must walk in order to achieve their potential. In order to grow, a person must experience each individual section of the human condition, whether it be…

Throughout time, philosophers have continuously been in search of the answer to this, “Meaning to life” that no one man has ever been able to fully explain or come to conclusion about. No consensus seems to ever be reached; and there are several reasons for this and consequences as well that Camus touches on throughout his Nobel Prize winning piece of literature. This essay aims to construct an analysis of Camus’ work, and pose arguments for and against several points made by Camus. I will…

The Trial is divided into ten chapters, the importance of each chapter-break was usually a timeskip. In terms of the plot, The Trial has three parts to it; the first set up the problem facing Joseph K., the second was Joseph K. hopelessly attempting to overcome this ever changing problem facing his liberty, and the third and shortest act is the climax which resolves Joseph K.’s conflict. Kafka’s choice of using this structure helps emphasize Joseph K.’s tireless struggle with the Court because…

There are different types of traveling. We travel for vacationing and sight seeing, we travel because we want to get away from our daily routine, we travel to see our loved ones, to escape cold weather, to escape war and tyrant rulers, to look for a better life. Bedouin in the desert travel looking for water to sustain themselves and their livestock. In the two essays I’ve read “Summerland” written by Peter Jon Lindberg, and “A Prison, A Paradise” by John Jeremiah Sullivan. The writers narrate…

fulfill your life’s purpose. Mass consciousness, society, people, situ-ations and the illusions of this physical plane have convinced you that it is impossible to live your life’s purpose and create what you love to do and have in life. This is how most people believe things should be and how we should live. You may have bought into these ideas and illusions. You may fully believe in society’s way of making a living, that there is not enough wealth to go around, that the only way to get ahead is…

There is a major contrast between the way in which the settings of Translations and Stuff Happens are described in addition to the number of places that feature. For example, in Stuff Happens David Hare frequently changes the setting with generally brief descriptions of Hotel Pierre, Camp David and many other locations, cohering with the play’s chaotic style and numerous characters. The stage directions in Stuff Happens are shorter than in Translations and usually fixate on the characters and…

It may be one of those universal experiences. You are walking through a shopping centre, train station, city street with your parents. You look up, and suddenly the realisation hits you and they are gone. That feeling of being lost and vulnerable comes as a raw and palpable fear, which thankfully for most of us is short lived. This is not the case for young Saroo. For him; it was not a momentary fear, but something so permanent that it would change his life. Saroo’s life story is told with a…

1) Chapter 5: Atoms to Atoms, Dust to Dust 2) In this chapter, Grendel decides to visit the all-knowing dragon in his lair. Grendel wishes to inquire about the meaning and purpose of his life and his role in society, wondering if he should cease to terrorize the men of Hrothgar’s kingdom. The dragon reveals that he is able to see the future as clearly as other creatures see the past and present. He presents Grendel with his complex philosophy of nihilism, stressing the lack of meaning not merely…